Pruning multiplies the fruit

When growing tomatoes, I’m not even going to sugar coat it – they take some work.

They don’t like to be over crowded, so one must separate them after the seedlings mature enough to plant in your garden beds. Then one must be aware of little pesky bugs coming over to get a tasty afternoon treat.

Upon reaching a few feet in height, the plant will produce smaller leaves at the bottom called suckers. In order for the plant to produce an ample quantity of good fruit, it is imperative that the gardener prunes these off.

Pruning multiplies the fruit.

The same goes for us.

We have stuff in our life that is equivalent to the suckers on the tomato plant. Sinful natures, hidden sin, thoughts no one else knows, or harsh words with our children. Or we could take this further and say we could be in the wrong relationships, friendships, workplaces or have family situations that are toxic.

These examples all do the same thing. They suck the life out of us and instead of us using of our energy to grow and be fruitful in our lives – we’re are pouring valuable energy and time into things that are not good for us.

But.

We serve a God who is faithful and merciful. Even though pruning may hurt, it really is good for us.

In John 15:2 it says, “2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful.”

Do you have anything in your life right now that is sucking you into sin? Or the life out of you?

The truth is, we can’t advance in our lives until those things are no longer present. Just like my tomato plants, I will not get the full yield until they are pruned. Sure, I’ll get some tomatoes and you may even advance a bit in your life … but the full potential won’t be reached.

If I let my tomato plants remain unpruned, they grow in every direction and are in pure chaos of a mess by the end of summer. Too many branches then become a burden rather than a blessing.

God loves us enough to do amazing things through you and wants you to be the most peaceful, patient, loving and forgiving person you can be. With the Lord’s help it most definitely can happen.

John 15:4 says, “4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”

God knows what He’s doing, even if we can’t see it all yet.

Usually there are 4 reasons the Lord prunes us but they all point us to multiplying our fruit:

1.      To remove what’s dead/dying

2.      To remove what’s infected

3.      To remove what’s delaying you

4.      To keep you attentive and on the right track

So continue to seek the Lord and He’ll continue to make your burdens light.

I pray your summers full of memories, joy and peace.

Enjoy your weekends.